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Recently I stood with my 8-year-old son in an empty chapel. We were enjoying a few quiet moments waiting for Mom and chatting about church, life and Legos.

Before long, my Curious George stepped onto the stand and plopped down where our bishop sits during Sunday services. I smiled as he settled in and I pointed out that he’s thinner than a hymnal and shorter than the pulpit.

Playfully, and meaning no disrespect to our good bishop, he introduced himself as Bishop Koleson. Then, without fanfare, he unilaterally released the first and second counselors in the bishopric.

(A ‘Bishopric’ is comprised of the Bishop – or pastor – plus two men who serve as special counselors to assist in running the spiritual and temporal affairs of local church members. They are assisted by other men and women who serve in a wide variety of leadership positions.)

Still seated, but grinning from one side of the chapel to another, Bishop Koleseon swiftly called replacements. “I’d like to call Greyson Dalton as my first counselor.” After a long, dramatic pause, he continued. “And I’d like to call Merrick Wages as my second counselor.”

The vote was unanimous in the affirmative.

The scene made my soul smile and I walked up to sit by him. With both time and a rich opportunity in our hands, I asked him what he would really do if he were bishop.

“Like Kid President?” he asked, referring to the popular YouTube channel.

“Sure. You’re Kid Bishop,” I said. “And I know it’s silly, because, you know, you’re 8, but if you really were the bishop, what would you do? Name three things.”

For starters? His counselors are staying.

I laughed, because that’s what you do when you refer to your 8-year-old as bishop and his counselors sandwich him at 7 and 9 years old.

“Fine,” I said. “But that first thing doesn’t count.”

After some pondering, and a trip to the pulpit, he revealed three things he’d change on his first day as Kid Bishop.

First, he gave passionate remarks on the need for more food at church. I explained that food doesn’t typically play a role in our Sunday services and that we try to keep the focus on the Savior and the doctrines and principles of the gospel. “We have potlucks and other activities where we eat plenty, but only the younger nursery children are really supposed to have snacks on a regular basis.”

He turned from the pulpit and reminded me with the appropriate amount of sass that my question wasn’t about he should do, but what he would do.

Second, he suggested that members of the ward could be more quiet before and during the meetings. “I would make it more reverent,” he said. When I asked how, he shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I just know we should. It gets noisy sometimes. And bishop talks about it. A lot.”

I explained that every church of every faith has members who could probably be more reverent on Sundays and that he and I are sometimes part of the problem. After some friendly back and forth he conceded that our current bishopric is doing pretty well on this issue already and that you don’t need to be a leader to encourage or practice reverence.

While the first two recommendations from knee-high Bishop Wright came quickly, the third developed slowly, like slick and shiny film hanging in a darkroom. When he appeared to hesitate, I prodded with a promise to not poke fun. “What is it? What’s your final recommendation as Kid Bishop?”

He looked up at me with his faithful eyes. “I’d make Sundays less busy.”

“How so?” I asked the question, but I already knew the answer.

You probably do, too.

“There are way too many meetings on Sunday. You’re always gone and it seems like it’s super busy for everyone else, too. I like the Sundays when we go to church together and go home together.”

“That doesn’t happen very often, does it?” I asked, but he didn’t need to reply. I knew that answer, too.

We chatted a few more minutes about the balance between church responsibilities and family and I made my case that sometimes moms and dads have meetings, interviews and other “really important adult things” that need to happen on Sundays.

Then, for the final time, he reminded me that my question had been simple. “You wanted to know what I would do. Not what we should do.”

Soon we were back in the car heading home and our discussions returned to topics more suited to an 8-year-old boy with the energy to power Manhattan. But while he was back to Minecraft and Mario, my mind was still in the chapel, contemplating the sweet innocence of a child.

Had Kid Bishop spoken some truth?

Do we overschedule Sundays with meetings and other responsibilities that could happen on other days?

Do we lean on the convenience of already being at church to chomp away at the Sabbath’s sweet and sacred hours?

When my son is old and gray like me, will he remember more Sundays playing the waiting game for me to open the garage door or playing a family game on the living room floor?

I have tremendous respect for church leaders everywhere and an acute understanding that sometimes Sundays are best to coordinate and counsel about the great and marvelous work that rolls forth. With wards and branches often spread across hundreds of miles, significant travel and those bonus meetings will always find a spot on the Sunday schedule.

Still, I think Kid Bishop tapped into some truth. Perhaps in our rush to do good work, even the Lord’s work, we’re missing other opportunities. When church leaders are tempted to squeeze in one more meeting to plan one more activity or to serve one more committee, we might remember that the heart of the Church should never be neglected: the family.

Isn’t it interesting? Maybe what Kid Bishop would do and should do are really the same, after all.

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